Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic hunger effect, over 200 people were fed at the Candlelight foundation in Surulere Lagos by Nollywood star actress, Princess Nnenna Orji in her efforts to give back to the society.
Earlier, the World Bank predicted that over 96 million Nigerians would live below poverty line in the nearest future. This is evident in the increased number of hungry persons, including children, who swamped the soup kitchen to have meal three times in a week.
Acting as the Celebrity Chef at the foundation soup-kitchen, Princess Orji said: “Upon my arrival to The Candlelight Foundation, I saw a crowd standing at the gate to get a meal, I felt emotional. This goes to show that there are people out there who cannot afford a meal.”
Nnenna, who lauded the Foundation for their ability to impact on so many lives despite the pandemic, said that, “the Candlelight has been doing amazing jobs even before the COVID-19 outbreak, and are currently doing much more. As a friend of the house, I always go for their events whenever i want to give back to the society and it always gives me positive feelings. I chose The Candlelight because they have a track record of reliability and Trustworthiness.
“I can beat my chest and say they are going a great job, and they have been doing this for about three years now; every Monday, Wednesday and Friday the foundation feeds hungry persons. So I feel more relaxed with them. I totally disagree with the belief that giving food is not impactful because there’s this popular saying that ‘a hungry man is an angry man.’ Without a meal a man cannot function; he can neither work nor even think of working. You can imagine a family man not being able to cater for his four children. It’s not easy, so I feel feeding and giving is very necessary and impactful to the society. A lot of families are going through a lot of things, especially hunger. So many people are very very hungry but they might not voice it out. So I think we need more people to sponsor, donate and partner with The Candlelight Foundation to help these hungry persons get food, put a smile on their faces, and give them whatever support we can, even reduce crime in our society and give hope.”
She also spoke about the soup kitchen and the environs of the Foundation, further praising them for its remarkable neatness. In her words:
“Like the general saying, cleanliness is next to Godliness. The first thing that attracted me was the environment, the neatness and how the staff were dressed, happy, friendly, and accommodating, so overwhelming; and I also noticed that there is oneness among everyone and even the patrons are treated equally and well controlled.”
Serving the patrons, she says, is among the most wonderful experiences of her life:
“Seeing those people gave me more positive impact; more zeal to make sure they have a smile on their faces. I had fun, enjoyed myself in the kitchen cooking for them, and so far so good, it was really nice. They had smiles on their faces after the meal.”
Reports have it that the Foundation is currently feeding almost twice the number of less privileged they are used to before the COVID-19 outbreak. The Candlelight continues to be a blessing to hundreds of the less advantaged persons every week. The numbers keep increasing, and they keep adding value to the less-advantaged, making life more tolerable for them.
In the same vein, The Executive Director of The Candlelight Foundation, Uzoamaka Okeke disclosed that the covid-19 has made the hunger situation worsen. In her words: “Food is a consumable. One will always need more. With that comes the problem of constantly needing food and with prices seemingly always rising we are always seeking funds for our cause. Getting organisations to donate has been our biggest challenge. But we are hopeful for our future as a non-profit by being more aggressive with our fundraising. Sadly, it has greatly impacted the number of people needing help. Prior to the pandemic, we saw on average 120 to 150 people daily to over 210 now and counting. People have lost jobs and closed business, the kids are not in school there is financial strain with no income.